Former top 5 ranked prospect being punished for poor play at World Juniors

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Sam Hutch
August 20, 2022 (2:04 PM)

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Finland took on Sweden in the second semi-final matchup yesterday, but there was a noticeable absence from the Finnish lineup when it came time to drop the puck. Brad Lambert, who was a consensus top 5 pick in this year's draft for most of the season, fell to the Winnipeg Jets at the 30th pick of the NHL draft appeared to be a healthy scratch after failing to show up during the preliminary round and the quarterfinal producing one point in 5 games.

According to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, head coach Antti Pennanen confirmed Lambert was indeed riding the pine in the press box.

He's (Lambert) a talented player who needs to use his teammates more.

Is it just me, or does it sound like the Finnish head coach scratched Lambert because he's playing selfishly? Lambert is only 18, however, there seem to be some serious flaws in his character which could be the reason he took a nose dive in this year's draft.

There's lots of time for him to sort it out, but being a healthy scratch on the biggest international stage for his age group representing his country doesn't look good for Lambert.

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20 AOUT \| 263 ANSWERS Former top 5 ranked prospect being punished for poor play at World Juniors Who wins the Gold Medal?
Canada	226	85.9 %
Finland	37	14.1 %
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Former top 5 ranked prospect being punished for poor play at World Juniors

Who wins the Gold Medal?